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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — a position
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ground — the earth
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. root — of a word
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. root — the cause
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. root — of a plant
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — goods
  24. bay — a horse colour

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