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: track · spring · degree · ruler · pit · patient · stock · row

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. degree — an amount
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. track — a song
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — of water
  11. track — a path
  12. stock — goods
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — the season
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. pit — a hole
  19. degree — from a university
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. patient — a sick person

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