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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. court — of law
  5. hand — help
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spring — a coil
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. spring — the season
  10. stem — to come from
  11. game — a match
  12. spring — of water
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. court — of a king
  17. game — wild animals
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. ball — a great time

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