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 116 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 · content · spring · club · stock · court · bore · race

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. race — the arms race
  3. content — happy
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. court — of law
  10. board — to get on
  11. spring — of water
  12. court — of a king
  13. bore — to tire
  14. club — a group
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. content — the amount
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. race — a contest
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. board — a committee
  22. spring — a coil
  23. race — humankind
  24. bore — to drill

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