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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — the arms race
  4. shower — rain
  5. race — a contest
  6. fine — high quality
  7. race — humankind
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fine — all right
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chest — a box
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares

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