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: bear · net · bowl · land · shower · jam · stock · patient

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stock — goods
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stock — shares
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. net — in sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. shower — to wash
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — rain
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. land — ground
  18. net — after costs
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. patient — a sick person

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