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 120 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: court · stock · face · patient · pop · spring · pass · wake

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. spring — of water
  4. court — of law
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pop — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stock — shares
  10. face — to confront
  11. court — of a king
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pop — soda
  17. wake — a trail
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spring — the season
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stock — goods
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pop — to visit

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