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 116 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: cabinet · hide · stock · key · fan · ground · spring · degree

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spring — the season
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stock — shares
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — in music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spring — of water
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stock — goods
  24. hide — to keep secret

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