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: roll · row · stock · mate · squash · rush · straw · ball

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. roll — a list
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. stock — shares
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ball — a dance
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. row — a line
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stock — goods
  16. squash — to crush
  17. roll — a cake
  18. squash — the sport
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. row — to paddle
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — dry grass

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