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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. last — final
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. last — finally
  11. stock — shares
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bank — of a river
  20. date — the fruit
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — to go on

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