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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bear — the animal
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. file — a document
  7. firm — steady
  8. root — the cause
  9. field — farmland
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — a container
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bear — the animal
  17. root — of a word
  18. field — a subject
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. field — for sport
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wax — for sculpting

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