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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — a song
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spring — the season
  7. ground — a position
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stock — shares
  10. track — a path
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. hand — help
  24. spring — of water

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