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: ground · bat · root · shower · net · mark · pitcher · lean

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. net — in sport
  7. lean — thin
  8. root — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — the animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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