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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stock — shares
  4. field — farmland
  5. last — finally
  6. stock — goods
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — final
  15. tear — to rip
  16. field — a subject
  17. tear — from crying
  18. field — for sport
  19. press — to push
  20. shower — rain
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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