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: stock · cue · ball · pop · saw · cap · capital · bark

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — money
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pop — music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cue — a signal
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bark — to shout
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stock — shares
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stock — goods
  21. pop — to visit
  22. capital — a city
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cap — a lid

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