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: toast · object · root · stem · club · mine · capital · file

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. root — the cause
  6. object — an aim
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. club — for golf
  10. root — of a plant
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. capital — money
  15. club — a group
  16. file — a document
  17. toast — bread
  18. object — a thing
  19. mine — for digging
  20. object — to protest
  21. club — for dancing
  22. file — a line of people
  23. capital — a city
  24. root — of a word

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