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: net · fine · board · mate · stock · cold · roll · hand

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fine — high quality
  3. net — in sport
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stock — shares
  6. cold — not warm
  7. roll — a cake
  8. net — for catching
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hand — help
  13. fine — all right
  14. board — to get on
  15. roll — a list
  16. mate — a partner
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stock — goods
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mate — a friend
  21. net — after costs
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. fine — a penalty

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