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: stock · scale · mouse · pop · capital · prune · content · chair

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pop — music
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. chair — a leader
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pop — soda
  11. content — the amount
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stock — shares
  14. scale — in music
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. prune — to trim
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mouse — the animal

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