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 · jam · cabinet · saw · row · sharp · mark

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mark — a grade
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stock — shares
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. sharp — clever
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. degree — an amount
  16. saw — the tool
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mark — a trace
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stock — goods
  24. cabinet — ministers

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