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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stock — goods
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — the fish
  7. suit — to fit
  8. stock — shares
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. season — of the year
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. present — the time now
  24. ground — a position

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