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: stock · mouse · clip · rock · cell · last · stick · chip

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. last — final
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. clip — a video
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cell — in biology
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stock — goods
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rock — a stone
  20. last — finally
  21. chip — for betting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. last — to go on

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