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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. suit — clothes
  3. pop — soda
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — goods
  6. pop — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. suit — to fit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spell — letters
  12. suit — in cards
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. spell — a short time
  18. row — a line
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stock — shares
  21. field — for sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. spell — magic
  24. temple — side of the head

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