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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · board · spring · chip · prune · racket · stock · court

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. spring — the season
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spring — a coil
  5. court — of law
  6. chip — to eat
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. shower — rain
  9. court — for sport
  10. chip — for betting
  11. court — of a king
  12. prune — to trim
  13. board — to get on
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stock — goods
  16. board — a committee
  17. spring — of water
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stock — shares
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. shower — to wash

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