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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stock — goods
  4. tube — the underground
  5. current — electric
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. plane — a tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. land — a country
  12. stock — shares
  13. bat — the animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. current — of water
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. tube — a container
  22. current — happening now
  23. branch — a division
  24. land — ground

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