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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stock — goods
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. land — ground
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. swing — in golf
  9. root — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. ground — a position
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ground — crushed
  14. swing — music
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — the cause
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. root — of a word
  22. rash — a series
  23. stock — shares
  24. ground — the earth

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