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: mark · spring · stock · club · season · bat · arm · pitch

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. season — in sport
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stock — goods
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. club — for dancing
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spring — of water
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — the season
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. club — for golf
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitch — completely

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