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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bear — the animal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. shower — rain
  6. mark — a grade
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. root — of a word
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mark — a trace
  17. root — the cause
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pitch — completely
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. root — of a plant
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. straw — a straw man

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