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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rash — a series
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. kid — child
  12. march — the month
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — music
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rash — on the skin

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