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: roll · fine · stem · tear · pit · spring · game · sharp

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spring — the season
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tear — from crying
  6. game — a match
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pit — in a race
  9. spring — a coil
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fine — all right
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. tear — from crying
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pit — a hole
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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