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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — goods
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. field — a subject
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. club — for golf
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stock — shares
  15. club — a group
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. field — for sport
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — of the year
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. trunk — of a car

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