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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stock — shares
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — in sport
  10. race — a contest
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. file — a document
  15. season — of the year
  16. march — the month
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — goods
  21. file — a tool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. court — of law

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