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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lie — to recline
  6. field — farmland
  7. bound — obliged
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — a subject
  12. bound — certain
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — a series
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bat — for baseball

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