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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stock — shares
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. degree — from a university
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. scale — in music
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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