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: chest · stock · patient · mate · stand · rest · row · last

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. row — a line
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stock — goods
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — a box
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — a partner
  23. last — to go on
  24. row — to paddle

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