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: lash · track · degree · cold · stock · rock · ruler · pop

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — to visit
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. track — a song
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. track — a path
  16. cold — an illness
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pop — soda
  24. rock — music

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