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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. hand — help
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rush — hurry
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. stem — a stem cell

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