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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. object — an aim
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. degree — temperature
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. current — electric
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. clip — to cut
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stem — to come from
  14. object — to protest
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. clip — a video
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. current — of water
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. current — happening now
  22. object — a thing
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bowl — to roll

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