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 · tube · cue · mate · scale · snap · tear · court

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. court — for sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — a container
  7. tear — to rip
  8. court — of law
  9. scale — in music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mate — a partner
  19. court — of a king
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mate — to breed
  24. snap — to click

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