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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. race — the arms race
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. race — a contest
  12. stock — goods
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. squash — the sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mine — for digging
  24. perch — for a bird

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