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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — shares
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. march — the month
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ground — the earth
  12. roll — a list
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — crushed
  17. march — music
  18. rule — government
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rule — a law
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ground — a position
  24. stock — goods

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