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: rule · cell · march · stock · root · racket · ground · temple

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. rule — government
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. march — music
  6. root — of a word
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — goods
  11. cell — in biology
  12. root — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — shares
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ground — the earth
  23. root — the cause
  24. cell — a phone

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