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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stock — goods
  3. cell — in biology
  4. roll — a list
  5. rush — hurry
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. capital — money
  9. march — music
  10. snap — to click
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ground — a position
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — shares
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. capital — a city

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