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 120 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: clip · leaves · cold · root · stock · ball · ruler · key

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. ball — a great time
  6. root — of a word
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ball — a dance
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. key — for a lock
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stock — shares
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. clip — for paper
  20. key — in music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. root — the cause
  23. stock — goods
  24. key — the most important part

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