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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stock — goods
  3. face — to confront
  4. file — a line of people
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. face — part of the head
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. file — a document
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — dry grass

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