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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. court — of law
  3. fall — to drop
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rock — a stone
  12. court — of a king
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fall — to drop
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fall — the season
  23. swing — music
  24. rock — music

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