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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stock — shares
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spell — letters
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spell — magic
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. swing — music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. trunk — 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