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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. object — a thing
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — finally
  12. content — the amount
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stock — shares
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. field — for sport
  17. stock — goods
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. last — final
  20. content — happy
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. last — to go on

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