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: cabinet · degree · mouse · tear · rash · key · wound · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rash — a series
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. key — in music
  18. stock — goods
  19. degree — an amount
  20. tear — from crying
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tear — to rip

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