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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — a match
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bound — tied together
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. hand — help
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. capital — a city
  20. bound — certain
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rush — to hurry

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