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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stem — to come from
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a document
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. season — in sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. mate — to breed
  21. field — farmland
  22. scale — in music
  23. chair — a leader
  24. field — a subject

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