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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — for catching
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. net — after costs
  15. cell — a phone
  16. net — in sport
  17. perch — the fish
  18. foot — a measure
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cell — in biology
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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