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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rule — government
  5. root — of a plant
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rule — a law
  9. tube — the underground
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — the cause
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. root — of a word
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kick — in football
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. tube — a container

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