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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stock — goods
  6. cue — a hint
  7. last — final
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cue — for pool
  10. perch — the fish
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — in golf
  13. court — of law
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. track — a path
  17. cue — a signal
  18. court — of a king
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. last — finally
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. track — a song
  23. last — to go on
  24. swing — music

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