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: jam · fall · mine · drill · mouse · chair · stock · file

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stock — shares
  4. fall — to drop
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a tool
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. file — a line of people
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. drill — a practice
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fall — the season
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a document
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. drill — army training
  24. mouse — for a computer

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