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 120 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: snap · bark · drill · cold · bay · court · root · key

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cold — an illness
  4. snap — to click
  5. drill — the tool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — the most important part
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. court — for sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. court — of law
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. key — in music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. court — of a king

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