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: stock · bulb · fall · cue · wind · tear · foot · kid

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cue — a signal
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stock — goods
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fall — the season
  13. kid — child
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. tear — from crying

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