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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. hand — help
  6. season — of the year
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chest — a box
  14. cell — in biology
  15. hand — in cards
  16. season — in sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — boats
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stock — goods
  24. staff — a stick

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