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: shower · hide · row · squash · foot · mouse · pop · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. row — a line
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pop — music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pop — soda
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stock — shares
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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