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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stock — goods
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mark — a grade
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a trace
  9. object — a thing
  10. march — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fall — the season
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stock — shares
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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