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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mate — a friend
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mate — a partner
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  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