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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — a contest
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. race — the arms race
  6. track — a path
  7. season — of the year
  8. track — a song
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. race — humankind
  13. stock — goods
  14. fine — all right
  15. spell — a short time
  16. dip — to sink
  17. club — a group
  18. spell — letters
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spell — magic
  24. dip — to dunk

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