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: track · wind · roll · bound · stock · game · bowl · lean

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stock — shares
  3. lean — thin
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bound — obliged
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bound — certain
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lean — to bend
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. stock — goods
  24. bowl — a dish

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