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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bound — obliged
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — help
  7. bound — certain
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — a leader
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wake — before a funeral

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