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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — a path
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mate — to breed
  8. track — a song
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. row — a line
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. game — a match
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mark — a grade
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. game — wild animals

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