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 116 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 · mouse · ground · face · coach · game · root · squash

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. game — wild animals
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. squash — to crush
  7. root — of a word
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cold — not warm
  12. face — to confront
  13. root — the cause
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. root — of a plant
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cold — an illness

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