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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. capital — a city
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — of water
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cue — for pool
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fall — the season
  17. capital — money
  18. current — happening now
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cell — in biology
  21. swing — music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. current — electric
  24. cue — a signal

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