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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. stock — shares
  8. press — newspapers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. capital — money
  13. mug — to rob
  14. shower — rain
  15. stock — goods
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — a cup
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fine — all right
  22. mug — a face
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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