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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stock — shares
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ball — a dance
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cue — for pool
  12. board — to get on
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. board — a committee
  17. bat — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ball — a great time
  22. degree — temperature
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stock — goods

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