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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bound — certain
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chest — a box
  18. rock — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bound — obliged

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