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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. charge — electricity
  8. march — music
  9. row — a line
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stock — shares
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fork — in a road
  22. band — a ring
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wind — moving air

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