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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fine — high quality
  4. row — a line
  5. kick — in football
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stock — shares
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. tube — the underground
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stock — goods
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. snap — to click
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. degree — from a university
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pit — in a race
  23. tube — a container
  24. stock — a soup base

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