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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. land — to come down
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stock — goods
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — ground
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fork — in a road
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — from a university
  21. land — a country
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — temperature
  24. racket — for tennis

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