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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. net — after costs
  3. clip — a video
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. press — a publisher
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. staff — a stick
  9. season — of the year
  10. staff — employees
  11. press — newspapers
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. clip — to cut
  15. net — in sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. clip — for paper
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. press — to push
  24. staff — employees

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