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

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stock — goods
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a document
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stock — shares
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. file — a tool
  20. mark — a grade
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mark — a trace

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