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: field · season · stand · hand · stock · chest · shower · fan

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — of the year
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. shower — rain
  10. season — in sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chest — a box
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stand — to bear
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. field — for sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stock — shares

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