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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. capital — money
  3. key — for a lock
  4. hand — help
  5. key — in music
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. key — the most important part
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stem — to come from
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. capital — a city
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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