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

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — boats
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. ground — a position
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. band — a music group
  12. land — to come down
  13. band — a ring
  14. land — a country
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. craft — a skill
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rest — a break

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