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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — for digging
  9. vault — a safe
  10. root — the cause
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. root — of a word
  14. rock — music
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wax — to grow
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cold — the Cold War

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