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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. squash — to crush
  12. capital — a city
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stock — goods
  15. mate — a friend
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stock — shares
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. capital — money
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. hide — animal skin

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