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: pitcher · fan · kick · file · temple · root · content · safe

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. root — of a plant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a line of people
  11. root — the cause
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. root — of a word
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. kick — in football
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. file — a tool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. content — happy
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a document
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. content — the amount
  24. safe — out of danger

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