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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stock — shares
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spell — letters
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — army training
  21. stock — goods
  22. mark — a trace
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. spring — of water

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