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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. charge — in control
  4. bound — certain
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rush — hurry
  12. hand — help
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. race — the arms race
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. race — humankind
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — a contest
  22. charge — a price
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. patient — a sick person

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