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: swing · wake · field · stock · fall · wave · tear · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. fall — the season
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. field — a subject
  21. fall — to drop
  22. swing — music
  23. wave — with your hand
  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