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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. toast — bread
  3. stock — shares
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. clip — a video
  9. bound — tied together
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. clip — for paper
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a document
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. clip — to cut
  20. file — a tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. stock — goods

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