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: land · racket · stock · rest · pit · perch · net · capital

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. land — to come down
  8. pit — a hole
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — a country
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — ground
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. net — after costs
  19. rest — a break
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pit — in a race
  22. stock — goods
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rest — what's left

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