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: press · key · wound · tear · stock · safe · staff · chest

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — goods
  5. key — for a lock
  6. press — to push
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wound — an injury
  11. staff — a stick
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. press — newspapers
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chest — a box
  22. key — in music
  23. staff — employees
  24. key — the most important part

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