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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. land — ground
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. last — to go on
  8. land — to come down
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. last — final
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — finally
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pit — in a race
  20. land — a country
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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