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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — goods
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chip — for betting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stock — shares
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. game — a match
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. game — wild animals
  22. toast — bread
  23. degree — from a university
  24. perch — the fish

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