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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · tear · wake · stock · pitcher · arm · straw · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. charge — electricity
  14. tear — to rip
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. charge — a price
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stock — shares
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — goods

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