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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — of law
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — shares
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stock — goods
  8. court — for sport
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — of a king
  22. bark — to shout
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. stand — to bear

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