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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. kid — child
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spell — magic
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. press — to push
  11. wake — a trail
  12. hand — help
  13. spell — letters
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spell — a short time
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bound — tied together
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. shower — rain
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hand — in cards

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