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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. file — a document
  4. season — of the year
  5. drill — a practice
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stock — shares
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stock — goods
  12. branch — a division
  13. squash — to crush
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. field — farmland
  16. drill — army training
  17. chest — of your body
  18. field — a subject
  19. season — in sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. file — a tool

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