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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — shares
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. charge — in control
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pitch — completely
  10. drill — army training
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. band — a ring
  14. game — a match
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — help
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. drill — the tool
  21. charge — a price
  22. band — a music group
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hand — part of the body

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