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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. track — a path
  10. fall — the season
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ground — a position
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ground — crushed
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. track — a song

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