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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — farmland
  6. roll — a cake
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. field — a subject
  9. mark — a trace
  10. field — for sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — the fish
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. roll — a list
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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