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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wind — moving air
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. season — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. season — of the year
  15. prune — to trim
  16. scale — size or range
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stock — shares
  19. scale — in music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wind — moving air

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