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: file · object · stock · cold · current · patient · game · bound

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bound — tied together
  5. file — a line of people
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — shares
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. object — to protest
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — not warm
  20. game — wild animals
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. cold — an illness
  24. game — a kind of play

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