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: hand · season · staff · wound · present · lean · wind · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — help
  4. season — of the year
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. staff — a stick
  10. lean — thin
  11. stock — shares
  12. wound — an injury
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — there
  16. staff — employees
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — a gift
  19. season — in sport
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. present — the time now

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