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 · pound · tear · kid · cap · bound · object · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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. stock — goods
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tear — from crying
  6. object — a thing
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pound — a weight
  9. object — to protest
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cap — of ice
  12. kid — child
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. object — an aim
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bound — certain
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pound — for dogs

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