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

Word bank: staff · court · stock · spell · fan · ground · arm · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. court — of a king
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stock — shares
  6. ground — a position
  7. spell — a short time
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — goods
  10. court — of law
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spell — letters
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — for sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. staff — a stick
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ground — the earth

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