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 124 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. firm — steady
  3. net — after costs
  4. press — a publisher
  5. net — for catching
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — a match
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. last — finally
  10. press — to push
  11. firm — a company
  12. net — in sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. game — wild animals
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. fall — to drop
  19. firm — decided
  20. band — a music group
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fall — the season
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a ring

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