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: tube · march · cue · race · patient · leaves · spring · stock

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stock — shares
  4. cue — a hint
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cue — a signal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. tube — a container
  16. cue — for pool
  17. stock — goods
  18. march — the month
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — humankind
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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