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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. club — for dancing
  3. capital — a city
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stock — shares
  6. club — for golf
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. capital — money
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — moving air
  14. row — to paddle
  15. firm — decided
  16. row — a line
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. firm — steady
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. club — a group
  23. stock — goods
  24. firm — a company

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