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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stock — goods
  6. vault — a safe
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rush — hurry
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. hand — help
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stand — to bear

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