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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — completely
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. perch — the fish
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. season — of the year
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spring — of water
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spring — the season
  22. chest — a box
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — of your body

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