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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. last — finally
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — in cards
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. last — to go on
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. last — final
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. scale — in music
  23. hand — help
  24. fall — to drop

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