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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. suit — to fit
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fine — all right
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. mark — a grade
  13. suit — in cards
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. last — final
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mark — a trace
  20. suit — clothes
  21. prune — to trim
  22. clip — a video
  23. prune — to trim
  24. clip — for paper

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