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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. land — a country
  5. capital — money
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a document
  9. land — to come down
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. capital — a city
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — music
  16. stock — shares
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. season — of the year
  21. sharp — clever
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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