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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wake — a trail
  6. kid — child
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — of a word
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. root — of a plant
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stock — shares
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. root — the cause
  24. sharp — with an edge

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