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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. game — a match
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pop — to visit
  6. present — the time now
  7. content — happy
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stock — shares
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. content — the amount
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pop — music
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. present — a gift
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. present — there

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