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

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. field — for sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pass — a permit
  8. chip — for betting
  9. field — farmland
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. file — a line of people
  13. field — a subject
  14. file — a document
  15. chip — to eat
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bound — certain
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a tool

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