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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stock — shares
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mine — for digging
  8. row — a line
  9. shower — rain
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. board — to get on
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. shower — to wash
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. board — a committee
  20. content — happy
  21. stock — goods
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. content — the amount

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