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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. clip — a video
  7. rule — a law
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rule — government
  13. mate — a partner
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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