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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. charge — electricity
  6. court — for sport
  7. charge — in control
  8. chest — a box
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chest — of your body
  13. court — of law
  14. swing — to play on
  15. court — of a king
  16. stock — shares
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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