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: toast · stock · fork · craft · cold · file · cell · mug

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stock — goods
  6. mug — a cup
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. toast — bread
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mug — a face
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cell — a phone
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cell — in biology
  21. craft — boats
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fork — a garden tool

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