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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stock — goods
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. net — for catching
  5. stock — shares
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — army training
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — steady
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitcher — a jug

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