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: root · content · land · bay · fine · wind · pitcher · arm

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. land — ground
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fine — all right
  16. content — happy
  17. land — a country
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. land — to come down
  20. content — the amount
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fine — high quality

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