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 116 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: chair · pound · saw · stem · net · mine · dip · pass

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pass — a permit
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. net — in sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pound — a weight

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