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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — a law
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. season — in sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. hand — help
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. season — of the year
  16. capital — money
  17. firm — decided
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stem — to come from
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. capital — a city

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