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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. land — a country
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — goods
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. land — ground
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stock — shares
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. content — the amount
  23. land — to come down
  24. bat — the animal

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