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: march · dip · hand · patient · pitcher · stock · bowl · key

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. dip — to sink
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. march — music
  14. stock — shares
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — goods
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — in music
  24. hand — help

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