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 120 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 · board · lean · bank · row · content · last · pit

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lean — to bend
  3. root — the cause
  4. content — happy
  5. board — to get on
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lean — thin
  8. board — a committee
  9. content — the amount
  10. bank — for money
  11. last — finally
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. row — a line
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bank — for money
  17. last — to go on
  18. row — to paddle
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bank — of a river
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. root — of a word
  24. lean — to rest against

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