ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. sharp — clever
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tube — the underground
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tear — from crying
  21. root — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com