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: ground · bound · craft · net · track · chest · stock · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — shares
  4. ground — a position
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. track — a song
  9. net — after costs
  10. craft — boats
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chest — a box
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. track — a path
  18. stock — goods
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bound — certain
  21. track — to keep track
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. chest — of your body

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