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: bear · stock · charge · dip · wound · land · net · capital

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. charge — electricity
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. net — for catching
  9. stock — goods
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. net — after costs
  14. capital — a city
  15. land — to come down
  16. capital — money
  17. charge — a price
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stock — shares
  20. charge — in control
  21. land — ground
  22. net — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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