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: hide · toast · roll · clip · stem · pass · chest · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chest — a box
  8. roll — a cake
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — bread
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rash — a series
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. roll — a list
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pass — a permit
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. clip — a video

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