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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. capital — money
  10. row — a line
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. capital — a city
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stock — shares
  17. cap — of ice
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. fork — in a road
  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