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: lash · stock · pound · cold · shower · cell · present · chip

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stock — shares
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cold — an illness
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cold — not warm
  10. present — there
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stock — goods
  14. shower — rain
  15. pound — a weight
  16. present — a gift
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. present — the time now
  24. cell — a phone

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