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: spell · dip · content · saw · root · hand · season · bear

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. hand — help
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. saw — the tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. root — the cause
  16. bear — the animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hand — in cards
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spell — a short time
  24. season — in sport

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