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: stock · wind · shower · sharp · pound · pitch · bulb · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stock — shares
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pound — a weight
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rule — government
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — rain
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stock — goods
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitch — completely

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