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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. kick — in football
  12. tear — from crying
  13. toast — bread
  14. tear — from crying
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kick — a thrill

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