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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. court — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stock — shares
  7. court — of law
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — to recline
  15. court — of a king
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — a supporter

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