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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. present — the time now
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. bound — certain
  8. chest — a box
  9. present — a gift
  10. bound — tied together
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — the animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. present — there
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rest — what's left
  24. arm — part of the body

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