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 120 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: rush · face · race · bat · stock · bass · pound · board

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stock — goods
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. board — to get on
  6. pound — a weight
  7. face — to point toward
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. bass — low music
  11. board — a committee
  12. race — humankind
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. face — to confront
  24. pound — to hit hard

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