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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. net — for catching
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. capital — a city
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stock — shares
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — money
  9. net — in sport
  10. pit — in a race
  11. net — after costs
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. spring — the season
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spring — of water
  23. rest — a break
  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