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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. scale — in music
  3. stock — goods
  4. content — happy
  5. last — finally
  6. content — the amount
  7. firm — decided
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. last — to go on
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. firm — a company
  12. track — a path
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — final
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stock — shares
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. firm — steady
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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