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: bowl · mate · cell · root · foot · squash · kid · suit

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cell — a phone
  3. foot — a measure
  4. suit — clothes
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. root — of a word
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — a friend
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. kid — child
  20. mate — a partner
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — the vegetable

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