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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. file — a line of people
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — of water
  11. snap — to click
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — shares
  14. current — electric
  15. file — a document
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — happening now
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — of the leg

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