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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — temperature
  5. lie — to recline
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stand — to bear
  8. field — for sport
  9. degree — an amount
  10. field — farmland
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. field — a subject
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stock — goods
  15. branch — a division
  16. chip — to eat
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stock — shares
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stand — for spectators

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