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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — for sport
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. field — farmland
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cue — a signal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. field — a subject
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — a city
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — to come from
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — money
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — help
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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