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: stock · season · spell · prune · scale · pitch · board · chest

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chest — a box
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stock — shares
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — a short time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — goods
  15. spell — magic
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chest — of your body
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. board — to get on
  23. scale — in music
  24. board — a flat piece

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