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: craft · clip · straw · court · stem · ground · roll · object

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. clip — for paper
  3. roll — a cake
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. court — for sport
  6. object — to protest
  7. ground — the earth
  8. object — an aim
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ground — crushed
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stem — to come from
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ground — a position
  18. object — a thing
  19. court — of a king
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. roll — a list
  22. craft — a skill
  23. court — of law
  24. clip — a video

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