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: rash · deal · stock · stick · degree · pop · trunk · prune

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — hasty
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — an amount
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pop — soda
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — a series
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stock — goods
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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