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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — the season
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cold — not warm
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. cold — an illness
  9. face — to confront
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — certain
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bound — tied together
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cold — the Cold War

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