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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. last — final
  9. court — of a king
  10. bound — certain
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. capital — a city
  14. wake — a trail
  15. last — finally
  16. branch — a division
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. last — to go on
  20. court — of law
  21. lean — thin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lean — to rest against

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