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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stock — shares
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stock — goods
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. net — in sport
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. net — for catching
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. net — after costs
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — obliged
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. patient — a sick person

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