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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. club — a group
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — for digging
  8. court — for sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. charge — in control
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. court — of a king
  15. club — for golf
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. charge — a price
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. club — for dancing

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