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 124 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stock — goods
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stock — shares
  7. hand — help
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spell — magic
  19. capital — money
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — letters
  23. capital — a city
  24. hand — part of the body

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