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: spring · racket · stock · wake · band · jam · file · fine

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spring — the season
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. fine — high quality
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wake — a trail
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. file — a tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. band — a music group
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. stock — goods
  17. fine — all right
  18. spring — of water
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — a coil
  22. file — a document
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fine — a penalty

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