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: stock · straw · stem · pitch · cap · spring · temple · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. spring — of water
  4. cap — a lid
  5. spring — the season
  6. cap — of ice
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pop — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stock — shares
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pop — soda
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stock — a soup base

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