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 · deal · last · kid · suit · stock · prune · club

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. land — ground
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. club — for golf
  6. last — final
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. suit — in cards
  9. club — a group
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — shares
  15. kid — to tease
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stock — goods
  18. suit — clothes
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. last — finally
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. land — to come down
  24. deal — to handle

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