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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — a series
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rash — hasty
  5. net — for catching
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stock — shares
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lean — thin
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — after costs
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. net — in sport

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