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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pitch — completely
  7. clip — a video
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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