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: pound · roll · pop · wind · degree · shower · track · stock

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — to keep track
  5. shower — rain
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stock — goods
  8. track — a path
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pop — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. track — a song
  13. roll — a list
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pop — to visit
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pop — soda

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