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: rush · content · pitcher · wake · rash · ground · object · stem

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rash — a series
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wake — a trail
  12. object — an aim
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ground — a position
  22. object — a thing
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rash — on the skin

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