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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bound — certain
  6. root — the cause
  7. spring — a coil
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spring — the season
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. root — of a word
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bound — tied together
  22. degree — temperature
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — for 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