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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stock — goods
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wax — to grow
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. shower — to wash
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. shower — rain
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bulb — of a plant

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