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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lean — to bend
  3. last — final
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — finally
  6. root — the cause
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bulb — for light
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bark — to shout
  17. root — of a word
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lean — thin
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — to go on
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — help

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