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 116 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: spell · stock · nail · sharp · hand · wound · perch · land

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. land — a country
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. spell — a short time
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. hand — help
  12. land — to come down
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — ground
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. spell — magic
  23. perch — the fish
  24. sharp — clever

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