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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. object — a thing
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. field — for sport
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stock — goods
  11. tube — a container
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to click
  15. object — an aim
  16. chest — of your body
  17. field — farmland
  18. object — to protest
  19. field — a subject
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chest — a box
  23. degree — an amount
  24. tube — the underground

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