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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — to come from
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rash — a series
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to confront
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. shower — rain
  17. chest — a box
  18. spring — a coil
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — part of the head
  21. shower — to wash
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stem — of a plant

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