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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rock — a stone
  14. band — a music group
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stem — to come from
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rock — music
  23. sharp — clever
  24. band — a ring

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