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: file · season · root · kick · scale · court · degree · stem

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stem — to come from
  3. file — a document
  4. root — of a plant
  5. court — for sport
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. scale — in music
  12. kick — in football
  13. court — of a king
  14. file — a tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. scale — size or range
  19. season — in sport
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. file — a line of people
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. court — of law
  24. kick — with a leg

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