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: game · bass · land · stem · content · pass · chip · shower

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — the fish
  4. game — a match
  5. land — a country
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bass — low music
  8. land — ground
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. content — happy
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chip — for betting
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. land — to come down
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. content — the amount
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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