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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cap — a lid
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rule — a law
  7. bear — the animal
  8. drill — army training
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rule — government
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. cap — of ice
  14. field — for sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. file — a line of people

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