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 116 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: snap · root · club · fork · capital · game · spring · straw

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fork — in a road
  5. spring — of water
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. club — for dancing
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. club — for golf
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. capital — money
  17. spring — a coil
  18. capital — a city
  19. root — of a word
  20. snap — to click
  21. game — a match
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. spring — the season
  24. club — a group

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