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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. key — in music
  8. clip — a video
  9. key — for a lock
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. degree — an amount
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pound — a weight
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bulb — for light
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stock — shares

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