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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a hint
  5. face — to confront
  6. kick — in football
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tear — to rip
  9. track — a path
  10. face — part of the head
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — final
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cue — a signal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. face — to point toward
  18. track — a song
  19. stock — shares
  20. last — to go on
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — for pool
  24. track — to keep track

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