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 · file · foot · board · capital · wake · nail · mine

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stock — shares
  3. board — a committee
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — a trail
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. board — to get on
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a tool
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stock — goods
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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