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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cap — a lid
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rock — music
  22. spring — the season
  23. kid — child
  24. spring — a coil

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