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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — a division
  4. ground — a position
  5. stock — shares
  6. pound — a weight
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ground — crushed
  14. file — a line of people
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ground — the earth
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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