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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. season — of the year
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. present — a gift
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. suit — clothes
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ground — the earth
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. suit — in cards
  12. file — a document
  13. suit — to fit
  14. shower — to wash
  15. file — a tool
  16. stem — to come from
  17. present — the time now
  18. season — in sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. present — there
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. ground — crushed

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