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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. net — in sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rule — a law
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stock — shares
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — after costs
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rule — government
  20. pop — music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

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