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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. craft — boats
  3. stock — goods
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. craft — a skill
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. dip — to sink
  9. branch — a division
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. bat — the animal
  19. board — a committee
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  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