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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. hand — help
  13. bound — certain
  14. chip — for betting
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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