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

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stock — goods
  4. swing — to play on
  5. race — humankind
  6. bark — to shout
  7. swing — music
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stock — shares
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. race — the arms race
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. race — a contest
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — in golf
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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