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 120 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fine — all right
  3. stock — goods
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — money
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — a city
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. present — there
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fine — high quality
  20. prune — to trim
  21. present — the time now
  22. bat — the animal
  23. present — a gift
  24. stock — shares

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