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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chest — of your body
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — goods
  12. hand — in cards
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — help
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chest — a box
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — bread
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fan — a supporter

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