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: wind · stock · date · season · scale · row · arm · bass

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bass — the fish
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stock — shares
  6. scale — size or range
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. scale — in music
  9. row — a line
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — goods
  13. bass — low music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — in sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. season — to add flavour

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