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: patient · date · dip · mine · stick · degree · stock · land

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stock — shares
  11. mine — for digging
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — an amount
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stock — goods
  18. degree — temperature
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. land — a country
  23. degree — from a university
  24. date — the fruit

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