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: cabinet · date · bay · cold · bulb · land · saw · stock

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. land — a country
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. land — to come down
  13. stock — goods
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. land — ground
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stock — shares
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stock — a soup base

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