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: season · bear · can · cell · clip · stock · mug · drill

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cell — in biology
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. season — of the year
  15. mug — a cup
  16. can — a tin
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. season — in sport
  24. mug — a face

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