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: capital · file · snap · mine · racket · bass · stock · stem

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mine — for digging
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a line of people
  7. capital — a city
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. capital — money
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bass — low music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stock — shares
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bass — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to click

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