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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — shares
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a document
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pit — a hole
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stock — goods
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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