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: board · arm · stock · cell · field · fork · toast · patient

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stock — goods
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. field — a subject
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. toast — bread
  11. stock — shares
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — farmland
  16. board — a committee
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fork — in a road
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. cell — in biology
  24. board — to get on

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