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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. root — the cause
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. net — for catching
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rule — government
  8. root — of a word
  9. net — in sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. rule — a law
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. root — of a plant
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. net — after costs
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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