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: file · rock · kid · bark · bear · mouse · degree · root

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. degree — an amount
  19. root — the cause
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. file — a tool

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