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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. root — the cause
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. field — for sport
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — help
  19. pitch — completely
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. kid — to tease

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