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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — ground
  7. stock — goods
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. firm — a company
  10. snap — to click
  11. firm — steady
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. land — to come down
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wind — moving air
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. tube — the underground
  20. firm — decided
  21. stock — shares
  22. land — a country
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. temple — side of the head

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