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: bowl · capital · bat · chest · leaves · club · stock · fine

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. club — a group
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chest — a box
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fine — all right
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stock — goods
  18. capital — a city
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stock — shares
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for golf
  24. fine — a penalty

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