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: stock · content · band · coach · track · court · squash · mate

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. squash — the sport
  3. track — a song
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. track — to keep track
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of law
  9. mate — a partner
  10. content — the amount
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. court — for sport
  18. content — happy
  19. band — a music group
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mate — a friend
  22. track — a path
  23. squash — to crush
  24. band — a ring

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