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: row · deal · fork · stock · race · bass · degree · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. degree — an amount
  9. race — humankind
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stock — goods
  13. race — a contest
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fork — in a road
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. degree — from a university
  23. deal — an agreement
  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