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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stock — shares
  6. kid — child
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — goods
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. craft — a skill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. lean — to bend
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. march — the month
  23. craft — boats
  24. march — music

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