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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. capital — money
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. can — a tin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cold — an illness
  12. can — a tin
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. capital — a city
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wave — of the sea

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