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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stock — shares
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tear — to rip
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stock — goods
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a music group
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rule — government
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rule — a law
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. band — a ring

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