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: stick · cold · ground · mug · temple · object · march · root

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ground — a position
  6. object — a thing
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. march — the month
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. object — to protest
  13. mug — to rob
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. root — the cause
  18. ground — crushed
  19. root — of a plant
  20. object — an aim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — a face
  24. root — of a word

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