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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tear — to rip
  13. court — for sport
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. current — electric
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. current — of water
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. court — of law
  24. current — happening now

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