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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spring — of water
  3. court — of law
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stock — shares
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — of a king
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. content — the amount
  14. bore — to drill
  15. court — for sport
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chip — for betting
  18. content — happy
  19. bass — the fish
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bass — low music
  24. mine — for digging

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