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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pop — soda
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pop — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. scale — in music
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. land — a country
  15. scale — size or range
  16. land — to come down
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pop — to visit
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. tear — to rip

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