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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — goods
  8. ground — a position
  9. march — music
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stock — shares
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chest — a box
  21. ground — crushed
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. fine — all right

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