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: cap · spell · drill · root · lean · hand · rest · object

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lean — to bend
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — of a plant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lean — thin
  9. drill — army training
  10. cap — a lid
  11. object — to protest
  12. spell — letters
  13. object — a thing
  14. rest — a break
  15. spell — magic
  16. root — the cause
  17. rest — what's left
  18. root — of a word
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rest — what's left
  21. object — an aim
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cap — of ice

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