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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. land — a country
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bore — to drill
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — ground
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stock — shares
  21. last — finally
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. land — to come down
  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