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 120 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: rest · straw · fall · saw · stem · cell · ground · bowl

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cell — in biology
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rest — a break
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ground — the earth
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fall — the season
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stem — a stem cell

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