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: wave · fall · field · mug · kick · stock · rock · tear

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — a face
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. stock — goods
  7. fall — the season
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. field — a subject
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stock — shares
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. field — for sport
  15. rock — music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. tear — from crying

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