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: pit · tube · wound · sharp · squash · stock · date · calf

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pit — in a race
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. calf — a young animal
  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