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 116 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: last · pitcher · row · stem · stand · hand · file · firm

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. row — to paddle
  8. firm — decided
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — a company
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. row — a line
  14. file — a document
  15. firm — steady
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. hand — help
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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