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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. last — final
  8. firm — steady
  9. last — finally
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. firm — a company
  12. net — for catching
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — in sport
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. last — to go on
  22. bark — to shout
  23. firm — decided
  24. bark — 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