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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stock — goods
  4. band — a ring
  5. court — of a king
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. swing — in golf
  8. race — humankind
  9. stock — shares
  10. swing — music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. court — of law
  13. band — a music group
  14. court — for sport
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mark — a trace
  20. race — a contest
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fork — to eat with

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