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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — of water
  5. ground — a position
  6. fall — the season
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. current — electric
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spring — the season
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spell — magic
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spell — letters
  19. current — happening now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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