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: field · bark · stock · roll · present · kick · pop · squash

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pop — to visit
  4. roll — a cake
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. roll — a list
  9. kick — in football
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — farmland
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. present — a gift
  17. stock — shares
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pop — music
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. present — there
  22. field — a subject
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pop — soda

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