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: bat · root · file · pound · tube · season · ground · rock

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bat — the animal
  7. file — a document
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rock — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tube — the underground
  13. season — of the year
  14. file — a line of people
  15. root — of a word
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. root — the cause
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. file — a tool
  23. ground — a position
  24. tube — a container

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