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: pit · stock · rule · fall · root · bowl · spring · roll

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stock — goods
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. root — of a word
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. root — the cause
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spring — a coil
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pit — a hole
  14. spring — the season
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fall — the season
  17. stock — shares
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. root — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. rule — government

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