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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chip — for betting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fork — in a road
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. degree — temperature
  24. saw — the tool

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