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: kid · bound · bear · drill · pop · field · fork · stock

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. field — a subject
  3. bound — obliged
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — certain
  9. field — for sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stock — shares
  12. field — farmland
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stock — goods
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. pop — soda
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pop — music
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pop — to visit

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