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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stock — shares
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stand — to bear
  8. land — ground
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spring — the season
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spring — of water
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. land — to come down
  16. band — a ring
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stock — goods
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. land — a country
  22. bound — certain
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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