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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. land — a country
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. can — to be able to
  6. land — to come down
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cap — a hat
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bass — low music
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. land — ground
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. squash — to crush
  22. can — a tin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. can — a tin

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