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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rock — a stone
  7. capital — a city
  8. snap — to click
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — in a road
  16. capital — money
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. root — of a plant
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. root — of a word
  24. rock — music

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