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: root · ground · wind · object · file · kick · tear · bay

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. root — the cause
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — a position
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. ground — the earth
  12. object — to protest
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — of a word
  16. object — an aim
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. kick — in football
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. tear — to rip
  22. file — a document
  23. tear — from crying
  24. object — a thing

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