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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bound — certain
  8. tube — the underground
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — shares
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bound — tied together
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stock — goods
  21. tube — a container
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. degree — from a university
  24. temple — a place of worship

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