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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. club — a group
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. race — a contest
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. spell — letters
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — for sport
  23. club — for golf
  24. race — humankind

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