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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stock — shares
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spring — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — the season
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. object — to protest
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. object — an aim
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. object — a thing
  23. craft — boats
  24. stock — goods

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