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: rest · perch · net · cell · stock · chip · safe · mine

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. perch — the fish
  11. chip — to eat
  12. net — for catching
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mine — for digging
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. mine — an explosive

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