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

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kid — to tease
  3. season — in sport
  4. pit — in a race
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — in music
  12. stock — goods
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kid — child
  15. rush — hurry
  16. season — of the year
  17. club — a group
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. club — for golf
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — shares

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