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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. root — of a plant
  3. last — finally
  4. current — electric
  5. degree — temperature
  6. root — of a word
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — to go on
  12. file — a document
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. file — a tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. current — happening now
  19. root — the cause
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. current — of water
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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