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: content · cap · squash · field · fall · stem · roll · plane

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — happy
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. cap — a lid
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. fall — to drop
  12. content — the amount
  13. plane — a tool
  14. roll — a list
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fall — the season
  19. cap — of ice
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. field — a subject

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