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: root · current · chest · spring · hand · face · foot · snap

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spring — the season
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. current — of water
  9. face — to confront
  10. current — electric
  11. chest — a box
  12. spring — of water
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spring — a coil
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. root — the cause

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