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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stem — to come from
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stock — shares
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. clip — a video
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. clip — for paper
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. sharp — clever
  21. branch — a division
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. clip — to cut
  24. racket — for tennis

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