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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. row — a line
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stock — shares
  15. last — finally
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. march — music
  18. stock — goods
  19. foot — a measure
  20. deal — to handle
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. foot — the bottom

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