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: date · chair · stem · ground · mouse · cell · dip · fork

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cell — in biology
  6. ground — a position
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — to sink
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. dip — to dunk

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