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: court · prune · cap · bass · content · stock · plane · shower

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bass — low music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cap — a hat
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cap — a lid
  11. shower — rain
  12. court — of a king
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. court — for sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stock — goods
  18. bass — the fish
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. court — of law
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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