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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. firm — decided
  4. stock — shares
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. firm — a company
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fine — all right
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stock — goods
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pop — to visit

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