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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. pit — in a race
  5. court — of law
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wake — a trail
  19. court — of a king
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. land — ground
  24. court — for sport

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