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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rock — music
  4. field — farmland
  5. current — of water
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — for sport
  10. file — a document
  11. mate — a friend
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rock — a stone
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stock — shares
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a tool

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