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: present · bass · capital · sharp · stock · nail · stem · file

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. present — the time now
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. capital — a city
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bass — low music
  9. capital — money
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stock — shares
  12. file — a tool
  13. present — a gift
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. file — a document
  19. stock — goods
  20. present — there
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. nail — for a hammer

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