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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stock — goods
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a friend
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kid — to tease
  11. clip — a video
  12. lie — to recline
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mug — a face
  15. ball — a dance
  16. clip — for paper
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stock — shares
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mug — to rob
  21. degree — from a university
  22. kid — child
  23. mug — a cup
  24. clip — to cut

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