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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. court — of a king
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lean — to bend
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ball — a great time
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — for sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lean — thin
  22. court — of law
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. clip — for paper

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