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: temple · stand · kid · mug · ground · root · cold · foot

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — a position
  4. kid — to tease
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mug — a face
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. root — the cause
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stand — to bear
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. kid — child
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. root — of a plant

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