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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mate — a friend
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kid — child
  10. rash — a series
  11. mate — to breed
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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