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

Word bank: mine · saw · chair · deal · rush · march · game · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stock — goods
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. march — music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. march — the month
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. march — the month
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. deal — to handle
  24. chair — to sit on

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