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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. snap — to click
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. land — a country
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. land — ground
  20. bulb — for light
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. fork — to eat with

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