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 120 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: file · object · tear · firm · chest · stock · content · cell

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. object — an aim
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — happy
  6. firm — a company
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. content — the amount
  10. file — a line of people
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. firm — steady
  17. object — a thing
  18. file — a document
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cell — in biology
  21. object — to protest
  22. firm — decided
  23. cell — a phone
  24. file — a tool

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