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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. land — a country
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — a path
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — child
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. land — to come down
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mark — a grade
  16. track — a song
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. land — ground
  24. bear — the animal

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