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 120 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: stock · tear · cell · current · bore · game · leaves · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stock — goods
  7. game — a match
  8. current — happening now
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fork — in a road
  17. current — electric
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — to tire
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. current — of water
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bore — to drill
  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