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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. charge — electricity
  3. band — a ring
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wax — to grow
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. charge — a price
  8. file — a document
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. charge — in control
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bound — tied together
  13. band — a music group
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. clip — a video
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bound — certain
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — for paper

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