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: wave · snap · mate · wind · ball · cell · drill · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mate — a partner
  6. snap — to click
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stock — goods
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ball — a dance
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. drill — army training
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ball — a great time

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