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 116 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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. field — farmland
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. root — the cause
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ground — crushed
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — to point toward
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ground — the earth
  17. root — of a word
  18. ground — a position
  19. root — of a plant
  20. field — a subject
  21. spell — magic
  22. field — for sport
  23. face — to confront
  24. tube — a container

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