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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spell — letters
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stock — goods
  8. shower — rain
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. craft — boats
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spell — magic
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. trunk — of a car

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