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 120 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: pitcher · kick · cold · dip · trunk · last · spell · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. spell — magic
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. last — final
  6. cold — an illness
  7. last — finally
  8. kick — in football
  9. spell — letters
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cold — not warm
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stock — goods
  22. last — to go on
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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