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: land · spell · wound · rule · stock · bay · pop · fine

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rule — a law
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — soda
  7. land — to come down
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stock — goods
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fine — all right
  19. spell — letters
  20. rule — government
  21. pop — music
  22. stock — shares
  23. land — a country
  24. fine — high quality

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