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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. capital — money
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stock — shares
  8. press — a publisher
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — crushed
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — a city
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. ground — a position
  23. suit — in cards
  24. fine — all right

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