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 · hide · chest · march · clip · chair · key · jam

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — a box
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stock — shares
  8. march — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. clip — a video
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. clip — to cut
  18. key — in music
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. key — the most important part
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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