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: fall · wound · stock · game · trunk · rush · bark · season

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. season — in sport
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — wild animals
  11. season — of the year
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stock — shares
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. game — a match
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. rush — a thrill

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