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 120 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: wound · snap · stock · row · plane · pitcher · mouse · court

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stock — goods
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. plane — a tool
  11. stock — shares
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of a king
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to click

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