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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rule — government
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rule — a law
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spring — the season
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cell — in biology
  22. spring — of water
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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