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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · chest · court · wind · stem · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chest — of your body
  3. court — of a king
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. court — of law
  9. chest — a box
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — moving air
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. court — for sport
  18. wind — moving air

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