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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stem — to come from
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — finally
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. last — final
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wind — moving air
  17. last — to go on
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. staff — employees
  22. kid — child
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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