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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. season — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. stock — shares
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — of the year
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stock — goods
  22. stem — to come from
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. season — to add flavour

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