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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. net — in sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cold — an illness
  6. track — a path
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bound — certain
  10. track — a song
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. content — the amount
  14. scale — in music
  15. net — for catching
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — tied together
  22. content — happy
  23. rest — a break
  24. scale — size or range

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