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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. degree — from a university
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for golf
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stock — goods
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stem — to come from
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bulb — for light
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. club — for dancing
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stock — shares
  21. clip — a video
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — a group
  24. degree — temperature

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