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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stock — shares
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. march — music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pass — a permit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. degree — an amount
  22. march — the month
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — 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