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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · staff · ground · hand · root · spell · chair · season

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. staff — a stick
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. ground — the earth
  6. chair — a leader
  7. spell — magic
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — in sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hand — help
  13. season — of the year
  14. spell — letters
  15. hand — in cards
  16. staff — employees
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ground — a position
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. root — the cause
  21. roll — a list
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hand — part of the body

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