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 · mouse · stock · scale · pop · fan · game · row

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pop — soda
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. row — a line
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stock — shares
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stock — goods
  21. pop — music
  22. scale — in music
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fan — a supporter

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