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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. shower — rain
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — a committee
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bass — low music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stem — to come from
  18. board — to get on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bass — the fish
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stem — of a plant

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