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 120 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: cue · pop · degree · bass · spring · nail · stock · mate

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pop — to visit
  7. degree — from a university
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. cue — for pool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stock — goods
  14. pop — music
  15. stock — shares
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. mate — to breed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bass — the fish
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cue — a hint

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