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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — shares
  5. tube — a container
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stock — goods
  14. present — a gift
  15. swing — music
  16. present — there
  17. swing — to play on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. scale — size or range
  23. march — the month
  24. stock — a soup base

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