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: pitcher · face · ground · bound · toast · degree · root · staff

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. staff — employees
  3. toast — bread
  4. ground — the earth
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — certain
  16. root — of a word
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. face — part of the head
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. ground — a position
  22. degree — from a university
  23. staff — a stick
  24. face — to point toward

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