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 124 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 a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. row — a line
  6. net — in sport
  7. capital — a city
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stock — shares
  10. hand — in cards
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — all right
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — high quality
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — money
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. net — after costs
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stock — goods
  24. hand — help

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