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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. press — a publisher
  8. object — to protest
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. press — to push
  13. spring — a coil
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stock — goods
  16. spring — of water
  17. object — an aim
  18. land — to come down
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stock — shares
  21. spring — the season
  22. club — for dancing
  23. object — a thing
  24. land — ground

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