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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. hand — help
  3. race — a contest
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. court — of a king
  9. bank — for money
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. court — of law
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stock — shares
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. hand — in cards
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. court — for sport
  24. race — humankind

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