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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tear — to rip
  10. kid — child
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stock — goods
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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