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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bank — for money
  3. stock — goods
  4. object — an aim
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bank — of a river
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. court — for sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — of a king
  13. capital — money
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — a thing
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. object — to protest
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bank — for money
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. capital — a city

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