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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bound — tied together
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. march — the month
  7. kid — to tease
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. march — the month
  11. kid — child
  12. bore — to tire
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. march — music
  23. bound — certain
  24. temple — a place of worship

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