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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. track — to keep track
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stock — shares
  7. scale — size or range
  8. track — a song
  9. race — humankind
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — a contest
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — in music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wax — to grow
  24. track — a path

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