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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. cue — for pool
  6. spell — letters
  7. scale — in music
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. stock — shares
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stock — goods
  15. degree — from a university
  16. race — humankind
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cue — a hint
  19. degree — temperature
  20. race — a contest
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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