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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. stock — goods
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. face — to point toward
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. face — to confront
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pop — to visit
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pop — soda
  16. face — part of the head
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stock — shares
  19. field — a subject
  20. game — a match
  21. field — for sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. field — farmland
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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