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: cold · pitch · root · court · spell · key · foot · lie

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. key — the most important part
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — for sport
  6. root — of a word
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. root — of a plant
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spell — magic
  17. key — in music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — a short time
  23. court — of a king
  24. cold — the Cold War

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