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: lash · stock · pitcher · game · chair · cold · firm · bank

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. game — a match
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bank — for money
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — goods
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cold — an illness
  11. firm — a company
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bank — for money
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stock — shares
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bank — of a river
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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