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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. last — final
  10. race — humankind
  11. net — in sport
  12. last — finally
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. race — the arms race
  16. last — to go on
  17. race — a contest
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — after costs
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. leaves — of a tree

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