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 116 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: patient · stock · ground · rush · shower · row · firm · wound

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — a line
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. firm — decided
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ground — a position
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stock — shares
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ground — the earth

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