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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. charge — a price
  3. chest — of your body
  4. firm — steady
  5. bound — certain
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — decided
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chest — a box
  10. charge — in control
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ground — crushed
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ground — a position
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — to come down
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. land — ground
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — a country
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. ground — the earth

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