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: bowl · bank · stock · can · straw · fall · cold · march

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — shares
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — goods
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bank — of a river
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — the season
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — to roll

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