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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — size or range
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stock — goods
  5. scale — in music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tube — a container
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ground — crushed
  10. key — the most important part
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wax — to grow
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. key — for a lock
  15. shower — rain
  16. key — in music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. ground — a position
  21. shower — to wash
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — for weighing

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