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: track · kid · hand · bear · drill · root · wound · chip

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — help
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chip — to eat
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hand — in cards
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. track — a song
  16. root — of a word
  17. wound — an injury
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bear — the animal
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. chip — for betting
  24. track — a path

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