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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spring — the season
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. firm — decided
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. firm — steady
  14. chair — a leader
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. spring — of water
  20. clip — a video
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stem — to come from
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. firm — a company

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