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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. kid — child
  3. bound — certain
  4. pop — soda
  5. race — humankind
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — goods
  9. bear — the animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pop — to visit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bound — tied together
  18. net — after costs
  19. pop — music
  20. race — a contest
  21. net — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. race — the arms race

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