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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — low music
  4. root — of a plant
  5. key — the most important part
  6. root — of a word
  7. firm — steady
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — a partner
  11. firm — a company
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — a friend
  14. root — the cause
  15. press — to push
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bass — the fish
  18. key — in music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fall — the season
  21. firm — decided
  22. press — a publisher
  23. band — a music group
  24. press — newspapers

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