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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. court — of law
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stock — shares
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — goods
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. race — humankind
  12. wax — to grow
  13. race — a contest
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. band — a music group
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — the fish
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. court — of a king
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — for sport
  24. row — a line

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