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: net · ball · spring · degree · board · stock · pound · temple

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spring — the season
  7. board — a committee
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — shares
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pound — a weight
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stock — goods
  15. ball — a dance
  16. board — to get on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. net — for catching

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