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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. chest — of your body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. band — a music group
  11. race — humankind
  12. stand — to bear
  13. race — the arms race
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a lid
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. band — a ring
  23. race — a contest
  24. bulb — of a plant

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