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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — a friend
  4. race — humankind
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mate — to breed
  12. track — a song
  13. mate — a partner
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. capital — a city
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. capital — money
  24. race — a contest

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