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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — farmland
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hand — help
  6. pit — in a race
  7. field — a subject
  8. net — in sport
  9. pit — a hole
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. charge — electricity
  14. net — after costs
  15. charge — a price
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. staff — employees
  18. charge — in control
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. staff — employees

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