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: shower · rock · spell · chair · bay · present · stock · drill

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. present — there
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. shower — to wash
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rock — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rock — a stone
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. drill — army training
  19. present — the time now
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. present — a gift
  22. spell — a short time
  23. shower — rain
  24. chair — a professorship

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