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: bat · stem · net · season · mate · club · cell · board

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. club — a group
  3. net — for catching
  4. mate — a friend
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. board — a committee
  14. net — in sport
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mate — to breed
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mate — a partner
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. net — after costs
  21. bat — the animal
  22. board — to get on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. club — for golf

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