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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. suit — in cards
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. club — for dancing
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — of the year
  13. march — music
  14. club — for golf
  15. suit — to fit
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — help
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. game — a match
  21. suit — clothes
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. club — a group

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