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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bat — the animal
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mate — a partner
  8. race — humankind
  9. kick — in football
  10. mate — a friend
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rash — a series
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — hasty
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — a contest

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