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: mate · stem · perch · chip · board · season · snap · cold

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cold — not warm
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chip — to eat
  9. board — a committee
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cold — an illness
  12. season — of the year
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. board — to get on
  16. snap — to click
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. season — in sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stem — to come from

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