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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fine — all right
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stock — goods
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bark — to shout
  12. game — a match
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bear — the animal
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — the amount
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. content — happy
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bark — of a tree

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