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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. root — the cause
  10. sharp — clever
  11. shower — rain
  12. root — of a plant
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — for sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stem — to come from
  24. straw — a straw man

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