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: charge · coach · mouse · wave · pitch · kid · stock · land

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kid — child
  3. charge — a price
  4. land — a country
  5. stock — shares
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stock — goods
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. land — ground
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — to tease
  23. charge — in control
  24. coach — a trainer

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