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: pitcher · degree · nail · rule · swing · tube · stock · wax

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. swing — to play on
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rule — government
  6. stock — goods
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rule — a law
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. swing — music

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