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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. club — a group
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. club — for golf
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cold — not warm
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wake — a trail
  14. club — for dancing
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. face — to confront
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stem — of a plant

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