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: stem · spell · chip · net · racket · cell · mine · patient

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chip — for betting
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — magic
  11. net — after costs
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. net — in sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. racket — for tennis

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