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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · degree · stock · foot · wound · ball · track · march

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. degree — temperature
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a song
  8. stock — shares
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stock — goods
  12. degree — an amount
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ball — a great time
  16. march — the month
  17. date — the fruit
  18. track — a path
  19. degree — from a university
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. march — music
  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