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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. present — the time now
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. degree — from a university
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bore — to tire
  11. file — a document
  12. degree — temperature
  13. file — a tool
  14. present — there
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stock — shares
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. present — a gift
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stock — goods
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cold — an illness

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