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: bass · wind · march · coach · stick · stock · cap · scale

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stock — goods
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cap — a lid
  12. march — the month
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. march — music
  20. scale — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bass — low music
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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