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 120 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: bay · wind · bark · stock · dip · pop · mark · tear

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stock — shares
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pop — soda
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mark — a trace
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pop — music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mark — a grade
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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