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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ground — crushed
  3. chip — for betting
  4. field — a subject
  5. board — a committee
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hand — help
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ground — a position
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. board — to get on
  17. chip — to eat
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fine — high quality

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