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 · tear · scale · capital · land · lie · board · stock

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stock — goods
  6. capital — money
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. scale — size or range
  9. land — to come down
  10. tear — to rip
  11. scale — in music
  12. capital — a city
  13. degree — temperature
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. board — to get on
  18. land — a country
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. land — ground
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — shares

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