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: kick · branch · bulb · march · mine · race · stock · field

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — shares
  6. race — humankind
  7. march — the month
  8. field — farmland
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — for sport
  18. march — music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — a subject
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — goods

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