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 124 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stock — shares
  3. last — final
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chest — a box
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — after costs
  13. face — part of the head
  14. net — in sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bank — for money
  20. last — finally
  21. wake — a trail
  22. net — for catching
  23. bank — for money
  24. patient — a sick person

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