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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. march — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. current — electric
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. stock — goods
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stock — shares
  16. march — the month
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. current — happening now
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. scale — in music
  23. current — of water
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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