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: ground · rule · court · key · trunk · fan · fine · root

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. key — the most important part
  3. court — of law
  4. ground — a position
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rule — government
  7. root — of a plant
  8. ground — crushed
  9. root — the cause
  10. key — in music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. root — of a word
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rule — a law
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. court — of a king
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. court — for sport

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