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: shower · tear · snap · rest · land · root · net · fine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — in sport
  6. shower — rain
  7. rest — a break
  8. root — the cause
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. shower — to wash
  16. net — after costs
  17. land — to come down
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. root — of a word
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. tear — to rip
  24. net — for catching

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