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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mine — for digging
  3. race — the arms race
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stock — shares
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. race — a contest
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. race — humankind
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stock — goods
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. deal — an agreement

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