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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. root — of a word
  6. cold — not warm
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wound — an injury
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — the sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bear — the animal

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