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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rule — government
  4. pop — soda
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pop — music
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. club — for golf
  15. stock — goods
  16. mine — for digging
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. club — a group
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. stock — shares
  22. rule — a law
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mine — an explosive

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