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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. court — of a king
  6. hand — in cards
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. shower — rain
  15. hand — help
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. shower — to wash
  21. deal — to handle
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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