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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. drill — army training
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rock — a stone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. net — in sport
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. net — for catching
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bark — to shout
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tear — to rip
  17. net — after costs
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stock — shares
  21. drill — the tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rock — music

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