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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — goods
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. roll — a list
  12. face — to confront
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rest — what's left
  21. roll — a cake
  22. face — to point toward
  23. squash — to crush
  24. roll — on a roll

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