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

Word bank: file · stem · track · cell · shower · rule

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cell — in biology
  3. track — a path
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rule — government
  7. file — a document
  8. shower — to wash
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stem — to come from
  11. file — a tool
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rule — a law

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