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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. net — in sport
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cell — in biology
  13. net — after costs
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bark — to shout
  24. net — for catching

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