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: bass · kick · stock · fall · date · straw · mug · patient

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stock — goods
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fall — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mug — a face
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. date — the fruit
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stock — shares
  15. fall — to drop
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bass — low music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mug — a cup
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bass — the fish
  23. kick — in football
  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