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: branch · field · craft · stock · face · deal · fan · cold

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. craft — boats
  3. deal — to handle
  4. field — a subject
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. face — part of the head
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cold — an illness
  10. face — to confront
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cold — not warm
  15. craft — a skill
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stock — shares
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. field — for sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. branch — a division

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