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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. row — a line
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spell — magic
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stem — to come from
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — letters
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. stock — shares
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stock — goods
  24. bowl — a football final

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