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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — shares
  7. cold — not warm
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — all right
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pop — music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. key — in music
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stock — goods
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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