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: rush · stock · can · chair · pound · last · kid · calf

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — final
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — finally
  13. can — a tin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. can — a tin
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. last — to go on
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stock — shares
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pound — a weight
  23. can — to be able to
  24. kid — child

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