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 120 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: lean · chair · drill · wave · fine · present · stock · march

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. present — a gift
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. present — there
  13. stock — shares
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. stock — goods
  20. march — music
  21. present — the time now
  22. fine — high quality
  23. drill — a practice
  24. march — the month

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