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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stock — goods
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bulb — for light
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cell — a phone

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