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: pitch · face · dip · bark · pop · chest · stock · bat

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. pop — soda
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chest — a box
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. bark — to shout
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pop — to visit

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