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: mine · straw · fork · patient · cap · season · press · stock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cap — of ice
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — goods
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. press — newspapers
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cap — a lid
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — a hat

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