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: chair · date · root · bulb · dip · game · land · net

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. net — for catching
  3. land — to come down
  4. dip — to sink
  5. root — of a plant
  6. date — the fruit
  7. net — after costs
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. net — in sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — a match
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. land — ground
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — a country

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