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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — goods
  11. march — music
  12. court — of law
  13. swing — music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. swing — to play on
  16. court — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. court — of a king
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stock — shares

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