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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stock — shares
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — happy
  7. chip — to eat
  8. content — the amount
  9. mate — a partner
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chair — a leader
  12. staff — employees
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chip — for betting
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mate — a friend
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. kid — child
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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