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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. kid — to tease
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — for golf
  13. shower — rain
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rule — government
  16. kid — child
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rule — a law
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. mark — a grade
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. club — for dancing
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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