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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. march — the month
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. race — the arms race
  19. march — music
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. race — humankind
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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