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: tube · race · arm · stock · press · object · board · kid

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. kid — to tease
  3. press — newspapers
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — a publisher
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. board — a committee
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. object — a thing
  13. stock — goods
  14. object — to protest
  15. board — to get on
  16. object — an aim
  17. race — humankind
  18. tube — the underground
  19. race — the arms race
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. race — a contest
  22. tube — a container
  23. press — to push
  24. arm — part of the body

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