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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. game — wild animals
  4. root — of a plant
  5. sharp — clever
  6. land — ground
  7. root — the cause
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. land — a country
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. file — a document
  15. root — of a word
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. land — to come down
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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