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: court · fall · temple · rush · club · stem · staff · cold

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fall — the season
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. court — for sport
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. club — for golf
  9. court — of law
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cold — not warm
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cold — an illness
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — a stick
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stem — to come from

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