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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — ground
  6. drill — army training
  7. wound — an injury
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. drill — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. land — a country
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — to come down

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