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 · row · snap · fall · dip · race · bore · cap

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. snap — to click
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bore — to tire
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fall — the season
  11. race — the arms race
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cap — a hat
  18. dip — to sink
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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