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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. deal — to handle
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — to come down
  10. stock — shares
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — goods
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. chair — a leader
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. file — a document
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. land — ground
  20. file — a tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. land — a country
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wound — an injury

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