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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. foot — a measure
  5. kick — in football
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bass — the fish
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. degree — temperature
  12. clip — a video
  13. root — the cause
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bark — to shout
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. clip — to cut
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. clip — for paper
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bass — low music

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