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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. squash — to crush
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. season — in sport
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — goods
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stock — shares
  15. mate — a friend
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mate — a partner
  19. date — the fruit
  20. squash — the sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cap — a hat

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