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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spell — magic
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kid — child
  6. cap — a hat
  7. current — of water
  8. dip — to sink
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spell — a short time
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cap — of ice
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cap — a lid
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spell — letters
  20. current — electric
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. current — happening now

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