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: file · vault · chest · degree · stock · cell · lie · rest

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — temperature
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stock — shares
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. file — a document
  13. vault — a safe
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rest — a break
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chest — of your body
  18. file — a tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chest — a box
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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