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: bark · stock · file · sharp · face · ground · season · lie

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. stock — shares
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ground — a position
  11. file — a tool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a document
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — in sport
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ground — crushed
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stock — goods

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