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: squash · band · stock · row · roll · game · foot · net

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. row — a line
  6. game — a match
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. band — a music group
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. row — to paddle
  13. band — a ring
  14. squash — to crush
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. roll — a cake
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. squash — the sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. game — wild animals
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. roll — a list
  24. stock — shares

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