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: mine · stem · bound · stock · scale · track · press · game

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bound — certain
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mine — for digging
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — a path
  9. stock — goods
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. press — to push
  18. track — to keep track
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. scale — size or range
  22. track — a song
  23. stock — shares
  24. bound — tied together

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