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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. root — of a word
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — wild animals
  6. net — in sport
  7. content — the amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. root — the cause
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. content — happy
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — a match
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bat — the animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bat — for baseball

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