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: court · mine · mouse · stock · coach · scale · row · press

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. court — of law
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — of a king
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. row — a line
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mine — for digging
  18. court — for sport
  19. scale — size or range
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. scale — in music
  24. mine — an explosive

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