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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — to come from
  12. board — to get on
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tear — to rip
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. board — a committee
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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