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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bank — for money
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stem — to come from
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lean — thin
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cell — a phone
  19. scale — in music
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bank — for money
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stem — of a plant

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