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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pop — soda
  5. staff — employees
  6. track — a path
  7. staff — employees
  8. snap — to click
  9. root — the cause
  10. pop — music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pop — to visit
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cold — an illness
  19. root — of a plant
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — for catching
  23. prune — to trim
  24. track — a song

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