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: rush · drill · cell · lean · capital · file · stock · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — to breed
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stock — goods
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stock — shares
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — money
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. capital — a city
  16. file — a tool
  17. lean — to bend
  18. drill — army training
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lean — thin
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rush — a thrill

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