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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. content — happy
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stock — goods
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. file — a document
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stock — shares
  15. season — in sport
  16. court — of law
  17. content — the amount
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. court — for sport
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — of a king
  24. season — of the year

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