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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. land — to come down
  5. pitch — completely
  6. land — ground
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pop — soda
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pop — music
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stock — shares
  16. ball — a dance
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. march — music
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — a country
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stock — goods

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