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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fall — the season
  3. cell — in biology
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bank — of a river
  7. root — of a word
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stock — shares
  12. fall — to drop
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fall — to drop
  15. prune — to trim
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. root — the cause
  23. bank — for money
  24. stock — goods

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