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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bound — certain
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. craft — a skill
  6. march — the month
  7. row — a line
  8. pit — in a race
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — music
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. can — a tin
  14. band — a ring
  15. row — to paddle
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stock — shares
  18. craft — boats
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stock — goods
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. can — a tin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. band — a music group

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