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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rock — music
  5. spring — of water
  6. staff — employees
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. march — music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stock — shares
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — a stone
  16. staff — employees
  17. drill — a practice
  18. row — to paddle
  19. march — the month
  20. row — a line
  21. staff — a stick
  22. club — for dancing
  23. drill — army training
  24. club — for golf

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