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: hand · stock · firm · temple · sharp · last · squash · swing

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — final
  3. swing — to play on
  4. firm — decided
  5. hand — help
  6. last — finally
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. squash — the sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. sharp — clever
  15. swing — in golf
  16. firm — a company
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. squash — to crush
  20. last — to go on
  21. stock — shares
  22. hand — in cards
  23. firm — steady
  24. swing — music

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