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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — in sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — a break
  6. stock — shares
  7. spell — a short time
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spell — magic
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. deal — to handle
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — of the year
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rest — what's left

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