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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kid — child
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cap — a lid
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — to tease
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. march — music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stem — to come from
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. sharp — with an edge

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