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 · bark · capital · squash · track · last · stock · rush

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stock — goods
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stock — shares
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. capital — a city
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. track — a path
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. track — a song
  21. last — final
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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