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 120 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: content · pass · tear · stock · mate · prune · shower · capital

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stock — goods
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stock — shares
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. shower — rain
  12. mate — to breed
  13. content — the amount
  14. capital — a city
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tear — from crying
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — happy
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. capital — money
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mate — a partner

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