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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mark — a trace
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spring — the season
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spring — of water
  8. file — a line of people
  9. root — of a word
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. shower — rain
  14. spell — letters
  15. root — of a plant
  16. file — a document
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. spell — a short time
  20. file — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. root — the cause
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — a coil

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