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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. land — a country
  3. net — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a ring
  6. net — for catching
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a music group
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — after costs
  12. rule — government
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stock — goods
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rule — a law
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bulb — of a plant

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