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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spell — a short time
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. spell — letters
  8. last — final
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. staff — employees
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stock — goods
  14. game — wild animals
  15. scale — in music
  16. game — a match
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wake — a trail
  19. scale — size or range
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  24. staff — a stick

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