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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — a video
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. root — the cause
  9. ground — a position
  10. clip — for paper
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — a series
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — of a word
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pit — a hole

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