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: last · jam · present · stock · bowl · bat · craft · tear

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — final
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. craft — boats
  7. tear — from crying
  8. present — the time now
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. tear — to rip
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stock — goods

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