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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fine — all right
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stock — shares
  10. last — finally
  11. stock — goods
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — final
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — to go on
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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