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: stock · row · tear · bat · key · foot · roll · wind

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bat — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. row — a line
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stock — goods
  18. key — in music
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. key — the most important part
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — a measure
  23. tear — to rip
  24. roll — a list

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