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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. track — a path
  6. file — a tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spring — of water
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. track — a song
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. file — a document
  21. spring — the season
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bound — tied together

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