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: row · spring · chair · fall · racket · kid · stem · calf

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. row — to paddle
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fall — the season
  8. kid — to tease
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a line
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spring — of water
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — child
  18. stem — to come from
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spring — the season
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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