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: foot · stock · land · temple · bass · bound · bark · cold

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. land — to come down
  4. stock — shares
  5. land — a country
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. land — ground
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stock — goods
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bound — certain
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bass — low music

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