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: wound · chair · staff · pop · toast · lean · date · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pop — to visit
  4. staff — employees
  5. lean — to bend
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — goods
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — shares
  20. toast — bread
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. lean — thin

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