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: pitcher · fan · net · stand · stock · bark · straw · roll

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — after costs
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. net — for catching
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stock — goods
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stock — shares
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. roll — a list
  22. net — in sport
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bark — to shout

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