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: stock · bass · staff · kid · hand · hide · mark · mine

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — shares
  3. kid — child
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stock — goods
  8. staff — a stick
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — low music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. staff — employees
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hand — part of the 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