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: ground · row · leaves · court · temple · stem · chest · pass

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — crushed
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pass — a permit
  9. court — of a king
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — to paddle
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ground — a position
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chest — a box
  23. stem — to come from
  24. row — a line

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