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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. hand — help
  3. bass — low music
  4. last — final
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bear — the animal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. last — finally
  24. stem — a stem cell

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