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 120 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 · hand · row · clip · can · chair · rash · pitch

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rash — hasty
  12. clip — a video
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. hand — help
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stem — to come from
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hand — in cards
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pitch — a sports field

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