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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. root — of a word
  3. ball — a dance
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. root — of a plant
  8. squash — the sport
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. root — the cause
  14. firm — a company
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ball — a great time
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. squash — to crush
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. capital — money
  24. firm — steady

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