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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — a container
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. capital — money
  7. last — finally
  8. stock — goods
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. last — final
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — to go on
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. capital — a city
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tube — the underground
  24. leaves — of a tree

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