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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. craft — boats
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cell — a phone
  5. content — happy
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rule — a law
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. content — the amount
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. stock — goods
  13. rule — government
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lean — thin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — a jug

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