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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rule — a law
  7. spring — the season
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rule — government
  11. shower — rain
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. spring — of water
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. scale — in music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bulb — for light
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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