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: racket · capital · stock · spell · prune · fan · row · pass

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stock — goods
  3. capital — a city
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stock — shares
  8. prune — to trim
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. prune — to trim
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spell — letters
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. row — a line
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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