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: rule · bat · stem · wave · court · season · suit · spring

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. suit — in cards
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bat — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. season — of the year
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spring — the season
  16. rule — government
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. suit — to fit
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rule — a law

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