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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. court — for sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pop — music
  7. last — finally
  8. mark — a grade
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a song
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. board — a committee
  13. pop — soda
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — final
  17. track — a path
  18. court — of a king
  19. mark — a trace
  20. track — to keep track
  21. court — of law
  22. game — a match
  23. pop — to visit
  24. board — to get on

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