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 116 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 · bark · bound · game · clip · squash · stock · cap

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fall — the season
  5. stock — goods
  6. bound — tied together
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cap — of ice
  14. clip — to cut
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bound — certain
  21. cap — a lid
  22. clip — a video
  23. bark — of a tree
  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