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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stock — shares
  4. sharp — clever
  5. spell — letters
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bat — the animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rush — hurry
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stock — goods
  21. mate — a partner
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mate — a friend

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