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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. capital — money
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stock — goods
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. vault — a safe
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stock — shares
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. ground — a position
  21. capital — a city
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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