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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. stock — shares
  6. deal — to handle
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. swing — music
  9. face — to point toward
  10. squash — the sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. track — to keep track
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — to play on
  16. squash — to crush
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. swing — in golf
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — part of the head
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. stock — a soup base

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