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: tear · chair · jam · mate · stock · game · degree · bore

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stock — shares
  5. game — a match
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mate — to breed
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tear — from crying
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stock — goods
  16. bore — to drill
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. degree — from a university
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mate — a partner

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