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: object · hand · season · stock · fall · mate · ground · bank

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. season — of the year
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mate — a friend
  5. object — a thing
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bank — for money
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fall — the season
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mate — a partner
  16. object — an aim
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bank — of a river
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. hand — help
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ground — the earth

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