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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stock — goods
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. staff — employees
  11. kick — in football
  12. staff — a stick
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. snap — to click
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. staff — employees
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stock — shares
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. degree — temperature

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