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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. drill — army training
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. foot — a measure
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. shower — rain
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. trunk — of a car

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