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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — shares
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pop — music
  6. land — to come down
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mate — a friend
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pop — soda
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pop — to visit
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. land — a country
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. land — ground
  20. stock — goods
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. face — to confront
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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