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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rock — a stone
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. game — a match
  9. clip — a video
  10. stock — goods
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — for paper
  15. capital — a city
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rock — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stock — shares
  23. bark — to shout
  24. press — to push

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