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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. stock — shares
  3. stem — to come from
  4. current — of water
  5. face — to confront
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. current — electric
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. face — to point toward
  13. game — a match
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. net — after costs
  16. current — happening now
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stock — goods
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bowl — a dish

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