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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. file — a document
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rest — a break
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. file — a tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bat — for baseball

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