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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bass — the fish
  6. kid — child
  7. bore — to drill
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — goods
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bore — to tire
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. spring — of water
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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