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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. board — a committee
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. land — a country
  7. spring — of water
  8. staff — a stick
  9. land — ground
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — to get on
  13. spring — the season
  14. staff — employees
  15. stock — shares
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — goods
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — to come down

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