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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — for sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. court — of a king
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. chest — of your body
  11. degree — from a university
  12. court — of law
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chest — a box
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. branch — a division
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chest — of your body
  24. safe — out of danger

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