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

Word bank: stock · cabinet · press · file · land · deal · suit · capital

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. capital — money
  4. land — ground
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. suit — in cards
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. capital — a city
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stock — shares
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. press — newspapers
  16. file — a line of people
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — to push
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. suit — clothes
  24. file — a document

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