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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. land — to come down
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — goods
  7. land — ground
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bank — for money
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stock — shares
  12. scale — in music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. land — a country
  23. bank — for money
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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