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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. perch — the fish
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — shares
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. band — a music group
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. band — a ring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. degree — temperature
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stock — goods
  23. snap — to click
  24. stock — a soup base

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