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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. staff — a stick
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. staff — employees
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stock — goods
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. land — to come down
  13. stock — shares
  14. row — a line
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. land — ground
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bass — the fish
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bass — low music

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