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 116 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. firm — steady
  3. rule — government
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cell — in biology
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stem — to come from
  11. firm — decided
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. firm — a company
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — final
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pass — a permit
  19. last — finally
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. last — to go on

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