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: wake · row · march · mate · shower · stock · ball · prune

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stock — shares
  3. prune — to trim
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. march — the month
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. prune — to trim
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stock — goods
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. march — the month
  14. row — a line
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mate — a partner
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mate — a friend
  20. ball — a dance
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. march — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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