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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. object — a thing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — a coil
  9. object — an aim
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spring — of water
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. net — in sport
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. object — to protest
  21. spring — the season
  22. pop — soda
  23. net — for catching
  24. root — the cause

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