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: stock · present · fan · swing · race · perch · plane · deal

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stock — shares
  6. perch — the fish
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. race — humankind
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. present — the time now
  14. swing — to play on
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — to handle
  19. race — a contest
  20. swing — music
  21. stock — goods
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fan — to cool the air

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