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 water is too ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stock — goods
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bass — low music
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. capital — money
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stock — shares

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