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: field · rule · stock · chair · spring · ball · bound · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chair — a leader
  5. field — a subject
  6. bound — tied together
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bound — certain
  10. spring — of water
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. rule — a law
  18. field — farmland
  19. rule — government
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. field — for sport

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