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: hand · stand · season · jam · bay · kid · bass · stem

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — child
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — low music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hand — in cards
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — in sport
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stem — a stem cell

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