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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. row — a line
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. spell — letters
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spell — magic
  17. staff — a stick
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lie — to recline
  23. row — to paddle
  24. band — a rubber band

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