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: chest · bay · leaves · cold · stock · mug · net · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. net — in sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — shares
  8. race — a contest
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. net — after costs
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. chest — a box
  19. stock — goods
  20. mug — to rob
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. net — for catching

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