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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cue — for pool
  4. firm — decided
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cue — a hint
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — the season
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cue — a signal
  14. scale — in music
  15. firm — steady
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. firm — a company
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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