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 · bay · bass · dip · bat · stock · chest · leaves

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — to sink
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chest — a box
  15. bat — the animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stock — shares
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stock — goods
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — a stem cell

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