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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stock — goods
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stock — shares
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. drill — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. rest — a break
  18. wind — moving air
  19. drill — army training
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — the animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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