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 · wind · mine · pass · cue · rash · cap · root

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. root — the cause
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — a permit
  8. root — of a word
  9. land — ground
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cap — a hat
  13. land — a country
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cap — of ice
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wind — moving air

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