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: game · wind · kid · stem · saw · ground · chest · stick

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chest — of your body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wind — to turn a key

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