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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. capital — a city
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. present — the time now
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — money
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. net — for catching
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mine — for digging
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — to confront
  21. net — in sport
  22. face — part of the head
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bulb — of a plant

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