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 · wound · rest · chair · degree · fork · clip · face

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. clip — for paper
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. degree — temperature
  8. root — of a word
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. degree — an amount
  16. clip — a video
  17. face — part of the head
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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