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: ball · capital · hand · rock · tear · stand · saw · stem

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rock — music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. capital — money
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stand — to bear
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. capital — a city
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hand — help
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — in cards
  24. saw — the tool

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