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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rule — a law
  9. stock — shares
  10. degree — temperature
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stock — goods
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rule — government
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. last — finally
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. last — final

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