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: cold · stem · perch · racket · ball · craft · cell · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ball — a great time
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — to come from
  16. craft — boats
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — in biology
  19. kid — to tease
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cell — a phone

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