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: dip · degree · object · rest · cap · snap · court · stock

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. degree — an amount
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. dip — to sink
  6. object — to protest
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. object — a thing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. object — an aim
  12. degree — from a university
  13. court — for sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. rest — what's left
  16. court — of law
  17. cap — a hat
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stock — goods
  21. cap — a lid
  22. court — of a king
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. dip — to dunk

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