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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wake — a trail
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. fine — all right
  5. race — humankind
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wound — an injury
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. race — a contest
  18. stock — goods
  19. race — the arms race
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stock — shares
  23. snap — to click
  24. stem — of a plant

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