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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spell — magic
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. court — of law
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. season — in sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — for sport
  17. ground — a position
  18. spell — letters
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stock — shares
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. court — of a king
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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