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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. hand — in cards
  3. clip — a video
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. root — the cause
  6. band — a ring
  7. spell — magic
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. court — of a king
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. spell — letters
  12. band — a music group
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. court — for sport
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. root — of a word
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. clip — for paper
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hand — help
  24. court — of law

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