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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. swing — music
  6. hand — help
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — after costs
  9. stock — goods
  10. cap — a lid
  11. spell — a short time
  12. capital — money
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. net — in sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cap — of ice
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stock — shares
  22. cap — a hat
  23. hand — in cards
  24. net — for catching

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