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: land · bear · root · capital · straw · mine · club · file

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — ground
  5. root — of a plant
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. file — a document
  11. club — for dancing
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bear — the animal
  18. club — a group
  19. file — a tool
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. land — to come down
  22. club — for golf
  23. capital — a city
  24. mine — for digging

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