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: toast · present · scale · degree · stock · cell · pitcher · clip

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. scale — size or range
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — there
  7. stock — goods
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. scale — in music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. degree — from a university
  18. present — the time now
  19. clip — a video
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — shares
  22. toast — bread
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — to cut

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