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: march · file · stock · sharp · stand · face · wax · game

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. sharp — clever
  6. march — music
  7. face — to confront
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wax — to grow
  11. file — a document
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stand — to bear
  16. face — to point toward
  17. game — a match
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. face — part of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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