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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chest — of your body
  4. race — humankind
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. race — a contest
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — to come from
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stock — goods
  13. season — of the year
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — shares
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. race — the arms race
  24. court — of law

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