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: mark · bass · racket · kid · cell · stock · file · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mark — a trace
  4. file — a document
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bass — low music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. file — a tool
  12. stock — goods
  13. land — to come down
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mark — a grade
  18. kid — child
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cell — in biology
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — ground
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stock — shares

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