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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. scale — in music
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — goods
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. swing — music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. march — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. swing — in golf
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a round shape

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