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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · court · coach · patient · last · season · bark · stock

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stock — goods
  5. court — of a king
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — of law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bore — to tire
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — final
  13. court — for sport
  14. last — to go on
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bark — to shout
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. last — finally
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — shares
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — 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