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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. lean — to bend
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — certain
  7. stock — shares
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. content — happy
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — the amount
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lean — thin
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. patient — a sick person

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