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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. row — a line
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. press — to push
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. court — of a king
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. board — to get on
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. press — a publisher
  17. court — of law
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stem — to come from
  21. date — the fruit
  22. press — newspapers
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. board — a committee

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