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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. field — farmland
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. current — electric
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — a lid
  8. current — happening now
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. current — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bat — the animal
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stock — shares
  22. plane — a tool
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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