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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cold — not warm
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — goods
  7. game — a match
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lie — to recline
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stock — shares
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. can — a tin

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