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 120 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: band · court · club · stock · wound · cabinet · prune · lash

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. court — of a king
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — goods
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. court — of law
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. court — for sport
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. club — a group

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