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 116 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: stock · spell · row · saw · fan · pitch · land · wax

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — ground
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spell — letters
  10. land — to come down
  11. row — to paddle
  12. land — a country
  13. pitch — completely
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — shares
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spell — a short time
  19. row — a line
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fan — to cool the air

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