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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. spring — of water
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bound — certain
  15. content — the amount
  16. wind — moving air
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. content — happy
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spring — the season

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