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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pop — soda
  4. net — in sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stem — to come from
  7. chest — of your body
  8. net — for catching
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pop — music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stand — to bear
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. net — after costs
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chest — a box
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stem — of a plant

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