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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kid — child
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. root — the cause
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — a line
  12. kid — to tease
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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