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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. board — a committee
  3. charge — electricity
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. land — ground
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — letters
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. swing — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — to get on
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. charge — a price
  20. stock — goods
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. charge — in control
  23. cell — a phone
  24. swing — to play on

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