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: perch · bowl · stem · chip · wake · bank · cell · net

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chip — for betting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. net — after costs
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. net — for catching
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cell — in biology
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bank — for money
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. net — in sport
  24. bowl — to roll

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