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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cell — a phone
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. season — of the year
  17. cap — a hat
  18. season — in sport
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bound — certain

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