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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. board — a committee
  3. rest — what's left
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rest — what's left
  6. board — to get on
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stock — goods
  9. roll — a list
  10. rest — a break
  11. wind — moving air
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pop — music
  16. stock — shares
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pop — soda
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mate — a friend

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