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: rest · season · mug · tear · bowl · wind · stock · temple

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stock — shares
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tear — to rip
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — in sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tear — from crying
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stock — goods
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — of the year
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wind — to turn a key

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