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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. root — the cause
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. march — music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. root — of a word
  9. lean — thin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. land — to come down
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spell — letters
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — a country

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