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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stock — shares
  3. board — to get on
  4. rush — hurry
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spell — letters
  10. swing — in golf
  11. spell — magic
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — goods
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — hasty
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spell — a short time
  19. swing — music
  20. board — a committee
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. swing — to play on

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