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: stock · rule · mark · bass · mine · field · kid · temple

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stock — shares
  4. field — farmland
  5. mark — a grade
  6. kid — child
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. field — a subject
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bass — low music
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rule — government
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — for sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. bass — the fish
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — goods

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