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: cell · stem · straw · press · degree · game · fall · foot

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. game — wild animals
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fall — the season
  10. game — a match
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stem — to come from
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fall — to drop
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. press — to push
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. press — a publisher
  22. degree — an amount
  23. press — newspapers
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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