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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — in music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. key — for a lock
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — help
  19. rest — a break
  20. stock — goods
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. trunk — of a car

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