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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bass — the fish
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. present — there
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — a gift
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stock — goods
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. present — the time now
  14. bass — low music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — a match
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. game — wild animals
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stock — shares

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