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: straw · spell · wave · stock · spring · content · bass · hand

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — a coil
  4. content — happy
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. spell — magic
  10. spring — the season
  11. spell — a short time
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spring — of water
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. hand — in cards
  20. content — the amount
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — help
  24. bass — the instrument

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