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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — shares
  6. bank — for money
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bank — of a river
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — a video
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wind — moving air
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cap — of ice
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fork — to eat with

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