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: chest · present · safe · fork · mug · date · root · game

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chest — a box
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. present — the time now
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. root — the cause
  17. date — the fruit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. root — of a word
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. root — of a plant
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. game — wild animals

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