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: squash · wake · march · stock · scale · straw · bound · mug

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mug — a face
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stock — shares
  6. mug — a cup
  7. march — the month
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bound — certain
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. squash — the sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — a trail
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. march — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — a straw man

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