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 · spring · pitcher · cold · leaves · swing · ball · toast

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stem — to come from
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cold — an illness
  6. swing — in golf
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — the season
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a great time
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. toast — bread
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spring — of water
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. swing — music

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