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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. kid — child
  6. stock — shares
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stock — goods
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mug — a face
  15. wax — to grow
  16. staff — employees
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. staff — employees
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bat — the animal

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