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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. kick — in football
  3. stem — to come from
  4. root — the cause
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. object — a thing
  9. fall — to drop
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. root — of a plant
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fall — the season
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — the month
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. root — of a word
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. field — for sport

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