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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. club — a group
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. club — for dancing
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wound — an injury
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. club — for golf
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spring — a coil
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chip — to eat
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — for betting
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spring — the season

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