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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bound — certain
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — hurry
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. band — a ring
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. capital — money
  20. file — a line of people
  21. band — a music group
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stem — to come from
  24. key — for a lock

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