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 116 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stock — goods
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. last — finally
  5. pitch — completely
  6. last — final
  7. bear — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. season — in sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. scale — size or range
  16. content — the amount
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — to go on
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. content — happy

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