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: perch · file · stock · face · degree · content · arm · jam

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. stock — goods
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stock — shares
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. content — happy
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. degree — from a university
  12. perch — the fish
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. content — the amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. file — a document
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to confront
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. file — a tool

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