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: patient · pitcher · file · pop · last · stock · bark · rush

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — to go on
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rush — hurry
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — to shout
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. last — final
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — shares
  20. last — finally
  21. pop — soda
  22. stock — goods
  23. pop — music
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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