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: board · mate · pit · stock · cell · kick · shower · content

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. content — happy
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pit — a hole
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stock — shares
  9. pit — in a race
  10. content — the amount
  11. board — to get on
  12. cell — in biology
  13. kick — in football
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — a partner
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mate — a friend
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. shower — rain
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cell — a phone

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