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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. hand — in cards
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. court — of law
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. dip — to sink
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. court — of a king
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rock — music
  24. hand — help

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