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 116 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — a container
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. charge — in control
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — to eat
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — the underground
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wound — past of 'wind'

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