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: dip · stock · patient · charge · kid · stick · staff · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stock — goods
  4. charge — in control
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. charge — a price
  7. staff — a stick
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kid — child
  13. dip — to sink
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. charge — electricity
  17. kid — to tease
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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