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: stem · race · ball · spring · capital · content · staff · saw

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. spring — the season
  8. race — humankind
  9. content — happy
  10. ball — a dance
  11. saw — the tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. saw — the tool
  15. staff — a stick
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. race — the arms race
  20. spring — of water
  21. race — a contest
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. content — the amount

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