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: game · kid · rule · saw · stock · root · craft · patient

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stock — shares
  3. kid — child
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. saw — the tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a match
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. root — the cause
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rule — government
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. root — of a word
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. root — of a plant

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