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 · race · fall · board · pop · leaves · sharp · capital

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. race — a contest
  5. stem — to come from
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a city
  9. fall — the season
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. race — humankind
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. board — to get on
  19. capital — money
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pop — soda
  23. board — a committee
  24. stem — of a plant

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