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: content · race · rash · wake · firm · root · bass · spring

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. race — a contest
  6. bass — low music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. firm — decided
  9. content — the amount
  10. root — the cause
  11. firm — steady
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — humankind
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. root — of a word
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rash — a series
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. firm — a company
  22. spring — a coil
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wake — a trail

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