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: pit · mine · stock · saw · swing · pound · rock · rash

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. rash — a series
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rash — hasty
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. stock — goods
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rock — a stone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pit — in a race
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. saw — the tool

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