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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. chest — a box
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chest — of your body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spring — the season
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spring — of water

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