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 · rush · date · patient · clip · bank · scale · fine

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — hurry
  8. clip — for paper
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bank — of a river
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stock — goods
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. clip — to cut
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bank — for money
  21. fine — all right
  22. stock — shares
  23. clip — a video
  24. scale — in music

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