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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. present — there
  3. wax — to grow
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. degree — from a university
  7. present — a gift
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. suit — to fit
  10. content — happy
  11. band — a ring
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bound — certain
  15. present — the time now
  16. content — the amount
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. band — a music group
  19. clip — a video
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wax — for sculpting

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