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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stock — shares
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. charge — electricity
  10. roll — a cake
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kid — child
  16. roll — a list
  17. spell — magic
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stock — goods
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spell — letters
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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