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: wind · shower · root · firm · content · net · band · calf

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. content — happy
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — to wash
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. firm — steady
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — rain
  11. content — the amount
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — after costs
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. firm — a company
  19. root — of a plant
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. firm — decided
  24. wind — to turn a key

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