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: can · current · saw · last · stock · land · tube · wound

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — to go on
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wound — an injury
  8. current — of water
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. current — electric
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. stock — shares
  17. tube — a container
  18. can — a tin
  19. current — happening now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — finally
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — ground

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