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: cold · temple · stock · pit · wake · fork · straw · racket

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stock — shares
  9. wake — a trail
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pit — a hole
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cold — an illness
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. fork — a garden tool

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