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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mate — a friend
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mate — a partner
  7. content — the amount
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. content — happy
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. board — a committee
  17. game — a match
  18. mate — to breed
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. craft — a skill
  22. stock — goods
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — wild animals

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