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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. chest — a box
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — after costs
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. lie — to recline
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. bark — to shout

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