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: tube · hand · scale · chair · lie · stock · ruler · last

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lie — to recline
  3. last — final
  4. stock — goods
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stock — shares
  7. chair — a leader
  8. scale — in music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tube — a container
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. hand — help
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. last — to go on
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. last — finally

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