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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. field — for sport
  3. shower — rain
  4. bound — certain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. degree — temperature
  9. field — a subject
  10. bank — of a river
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bound — obliged
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stock — goods
  16. field — farmland
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bound — tied together

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