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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. court — of law
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. court — for sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. net — in sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. court — of a king
  16. net — after costs
  17. rash — a series
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pass — a permit
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. net — for catching
  24. pass — to succeed

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