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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tube — the underground
  7. field — for sport
  8. land — a country
  9. rock — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. field — farmland
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tube — a container
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — goods
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. land — to come down
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cabinet — ministers

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