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

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rock — music
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. date — the fruit
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. capital — a city
  10. last — to go on
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fall — the season
  14. rock — a stone
  15. last — final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — finally
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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