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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stock — goods
  7. degree — an amount
  8. object — an aim
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. cue — a hint
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. vault — a safe
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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