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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rash — a series
  6. stock — goods
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rash — hasty
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. dip — to sink
  13. last — to go on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. last — finally
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cold — an illness
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. last — final
  21. stock — shares
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cold — not warm

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