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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stock — goods
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stock — shares
  13. rest — a break
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. kid — child
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — in music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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