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: degree · stock · last · leaves · swing · wave · mine · tube

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. last — final
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. last — to go on
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — finally
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. swing — music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stock — goods
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stock — shares
  24. mine — an explosive

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