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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chest — of your body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. chest — a box
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chest — of your body
  9. toast — bread
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — ground
  13. charge — in control
  14. land — a country
  15. charge — a price
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. land — to come down
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. shower — rain
  21. charge — electricity
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. snap — to click
  24. row — a line

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