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: content · chair · net · can · leaves · hide · stock · pitcher

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. content — happy
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chair — a leader
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — a tin
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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