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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stock — goods
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stock — shares
  15. staff — employees
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cold — an illness
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cold — not warm
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. drill — army training

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