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

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stock — shares
  6. capital — money
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stock — goods
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — finally
  12. can — a tin
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. last — final
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mate — a partner
  20. can — a tin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. capital — a city
  24. mate — to breed

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