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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stock — goods
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rest — what's left
  8. content — happy
  9. march — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rest — a break
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. spring — the season
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — shares
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. content — the amount

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