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 124 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. row — a line
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — to paddle
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. stock — goods
  11. pit — in a race
  12. club — for golf
  13. race — a contest
  14. face — part of the head
  15. club — a group
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. club — for dancing
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stock — shares
  22. race — humankind
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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