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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. craft — a skill
  3. band — a ring
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pop — music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pop — soda
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spring — a coil
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pop — to visit
  14. band — a music group
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — finally
  17. craft — boats
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — to point toward
  20. last — final
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spring — of water

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