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: club · bulb · stock · date · pit · straw · scale · chest

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stock — goods
  5. bulb — for light
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — in music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — size or range
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — shares
  18. chest — a box
  19. date — the fruit
  20. club — for golf
  21. bulb — for light
  22. club — a group
  23. chest — of your body
  24. date — on the calendar

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