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: spring · degree · stock · track · wound · foot · season · current

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stock — goods
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. foot — a measure
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. season — of the year
  14. current — of water
  15. season — in sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — a coil
  18. current — electric
  19. spring — the season
  20. current — happening now
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stock — shares
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. spring — of water

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