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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. firm — steady
  7. content — happy
  8. field — a subject
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bound — certain
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. content — the amount
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. firm — a company
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. wound — an injury

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