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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. field — farmland
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spell — a short time
  7. foot — a measure
  8. chest — a box
  9. spell — letters
  10. bound — certain
  11. track — to keep track
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — a song
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — a subject
  17. drill — a practice
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. track — a path
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spell — magic
  24. drill — army training

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