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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · stock · deal · clip · rest · cold · charge · track

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fine — all right
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stock — shares
  7. fine — high quality
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stock — goods
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. rest — what's left
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. clip — a video
  20. rest — a break
  21. cold — an illness
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cold — not warm
  24. charge — a price

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