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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chest — a box
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — goods
  6. last — finally
  7. press — to push
  8. capital — a city
  9. last — to go on
  10. wind — moving air
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stock — shares
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. foot — a measure
  20. last — final
  21. capital — money
  22. press — newspapers
  23. chest — of your body
  24. press — a publisher

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