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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stock — goods
  5. suit — clothes
  6. land — a country
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. land — to come down
  11. rush — hurry
  12. suit — in cards
  13. root — of a word
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. suit — to fit
  17. kid — to tease
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. staff — a stick
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — music

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