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: bound · march · dip · object · wind · stock · bowl · capital

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. object — an aim
  3. capital — money
  4. stock — shares
  5. march — the month
  6. dip — to sink
  7. capital — a city
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bound — certain
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. march — music
  17. bound — obliged
  18. object — a thing
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — goods
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wind — moving air
  24. object — to protest

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