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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. row — a line
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stock — goods
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mark — a grade

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